1. Related Applications
There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or any foreign country.
2. Field of Invention
My invention is a handle which may be releasably interconnected with a plurality of blade type tool elements.
3. Description of Prior Art
Sportsmen often require small hand tools for the pursuit of their chosen endeavors and, in fact, their very lives may at times depend upon such tools. This is especially true of hunters of larger game animals who may be more separated from civilized areas and oftentimes require hand tools to properly deal with and process animals which they may kill.
Ordinary hand tools, as used by the populace generally, have been used by sportsmen, but generally they are not too well adapted to such use, especially because of their lack of versatility and compactness, both of which are desirable because the tools may need to be carried substantial distances. Compound-type hand tools heretofore known have provided these features to some degree but have not become particularly popular amongst sportsmen because these tools have not generally been so useful or functional as a unitary type tool. Utility and function in a tool are of substantial concern to a sportsman because the success of a hunt and the sportsman's well being itself may depend on these features of his tools.
The instant invention provides a multipurpose tool handle that may releasably carry a variety of common tool elements, especially those of a blade type such as a knife, saw or hatchet. The handle is particularly configured to meet the requirements of sportsmen generally and especially the hunter of big game animals. The handle is of a metal formed to a "T" shape with a medial finger hole and means of fastening tools at each end of the elements forming the "T" so that the handle may mount a tool parallel or perpendicular to either handle element. The metal structure provides appropriate strength and rigidity but yet allows formation of internal air chambers to provide floatation. The medial finger hole provides better grasping capabilities than other handle configurations without finger holes.
Tool elements are releasably fastened to the handle by particular common shank structure which provides substantial rigidity for the interconnected elements. A tool shank extends for some distance into an interfitting chamber to resist skewing forces and an interfitting pin structure is provided to resist substantial pulling or pushing forces parallel to the tool shank. This interconnection of elements provides substantially the same rigidity and strength as are provided by unitary tools of the same type. The connecting shank is of a type heretofore known and readily available on various blade-type tools of the present day market place.
One of the tool holding orifices of my handle is angled to the axis of the handle element wherein it is defined, to include somewhat more than a ninety degree angle between the tool held therein and the adjacent perpendicular handle element to allow interconnection of a saw blade for sawing operations with a normal hand positioning.
My handle provides ancillary features of a small sharpening stone and a flintstone that may be used with a piece of steel for fire starting.
My invention resides not in any one of these features per se but rather in all of the structural and functional elements of my invention combined in the unique synergistic relationship specified and claimed.